


It Could Have Been Better

by AlexiaLovesToWrite



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternative Lifestyles, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Character Death, Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Implied/Referenced Character Death, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Pining Lance (Voltron), Real Life, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Keith/Lance (Voltron), Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 18:50:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14338836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexiaLovesToWrite/pseuds/AlexiaLovesToWrite
Summary: And that’s the start of his story, Lance Mclain dropped out of college at nineteen, got a job, and started raising his siblings on his own. . .After the death of their mother, the Mclain siblings are thrust into a new life filled with chaos and television dinners. Being the oldest, and undoubtedly most responsible out of the four, Lance drops out of college and gets a job in order to care for his two brothers and sister. Raising three kids is not easy and puts Lance through many trials and tribulations. But when he meets a dark-haired guitarist in the park, he realizes that maybe he doesn't have to do it alone. Will Lance be able to tear down the walls this stranger has built around himself? And in turn, will he allow this stranger to tear down his own?





	It Could Have Been Better

Ladders, a two-way street with no passing lane and no definitive start or end point. There was no finish line to race towards on a ladder, where you ended up solely depended on where you wanted to be. Firm and secure meant you were probably rooted on the ground, hands firmly clutching the rails at the rungs as if they held the answers to all your problems. This is where seventy-five percent of the population rested. They were all just stuck, in the same spot, lost in the same aspirations of being at the top but too damn scared to climb. The other twenty-five percent, the margin who wasn’t afraid of the ladder tipping and toppling over. Those who rushed to the top but didn’t know how to climb where no better off than those who were too afraid to try. They scrambled and fought instead of taking turns and the ladder collapsed beneath their weight ruing chances for the rest of them. One by one the rings snapped as greed consumed a small group and fucked everyone else over like a scratched vinyl record or nails on a chalkboard. It all just left a bad taste in Lance’s mouth. 

If he could talk he’d probably demand compensation for the way the world rolled him over onto his back like a cat in heat just like everyone else insisted on doing. If he could speak, and not only be heard but listened to then he’d leave everyone else to grab at straws and instead make his own. Lance wouldn’t ever define himself as a homebody but, he defiantly wasn’t one to party like his friends thought he was. It was a show, a mask, bright red lipstick that he wore when he just wasn’t in the mood to explain why he wasn’t feeling it. If he looked the part then fewer people asked questions and that was less he had to explain. Because the fact of the matter was, Lance had dreams, aspirations, goals, but he was one of the seventy-five percent stuck at the bottom of the ladder too damn afraid to just start climbing. 

And when the flat line echoed through the hospital room, his younger sister and brothers asking what it meant, Lance couldn’t even bring himself to even consider holding onto that ladder anymore. In fact, he stepped down and let go of it completely, somebody else was better at climbing anyway, he thought. Somethings just weren’t meant for him. So, he took a breath, one that distended his rib cage and filled his lungs with lead, and scooped his three-year-old sister into his arms and told her the truth the only way he knew how. 

“Mamá se fue.”  
And that’s the start of his story, Lance Mclain dropped out of college at nineteen, got a job, and started raising his siblings on his own. Nothing exciting or fancy, not even any recognition from his extended family for the burden he chose to carry. They showed up to the funeral, though, no one but him planned it. Not that any of that matters now since his Mami passed away three years ago today. Just the reminder and her picture hanging above the window in the kitchen where he currently stood cracking omelets into a frying pan, hurt. But that’s all it did. Her absence didn’t burn, stop him from breathing, or ruin his family’s lives. It just made them a little less lackluster. And that’s okay, he thinks anyway. 

“El Hermano!!!” Veronica called from the living room, “Gavin took the remote again!!” 

Lance sighed and reached to turn the gas stove top off with a click. The last of the omelets were dished out onto the correct plates topped with silverware. “It doesn’t matter now Ver-bear. Breakfast is ready. Turn the TV off and come eat guys!” Lance moved the plates to the island in the middle of the kitchen just in time for his youngest two siblings to come barreling in. “The bus will be here in, like, ten minutes so you better eat fast.”

“Like Sonic?” Gavin asked around a mouthful of food, thrusting his fork into the air.

“Faster than Sonic. Think speed of light fast. That omelet needs to be gone now, hustle, hustle!” Lance clapped his hands to punctuate his point but quickly stopped upon noticing a missing presence from the table. “Wait, wheres Luis at?” 

Veronica answered, “He hasn’t gotten up yet. He said he wasn’t ‘feeling like going to school today.”

Lance howled, “Oh, no no no no no. Not happening, Luis!” Lance called already marching down the hallway towards the last bedroom where the oldest of his youngest siblings resided. He pushed the door open without knocking marched over to the bed and ripped the covers off.

“What the fuck, Lance!”

“Oh, you did not just drop an f-bomb in front of me…” Luis, a skinny, lanky, photocopy of Lance himself rolled onto his back and scowled up at his brother indignantly.

He huffed, “Does it matter?”

Lance’s shoulder fell in disbelief, “Of course it matters. I raised you better than that Louy…” 

“Yeah, I did, I don’t know if you noticed or-“ Luis jerked up from the bed and shouted, cutting Lance off,

“You’re not mom Lance, stop trying so hard!” Wow… the cover, soft blue and speckled with paint and marker streaks that used to belong to himself fell to the floor in a heap. It was a hand-me-down to Luis because two-hundred dollars every two weeks meant brand-new bedsheets weren’t a priority. That hurt, Lance thought, maybe bullets don’t even hurt this much. The oldest of the four siblings rubbed a palm over his breastbone. As if, it’d get the sudden aching to stop. 

“Yeah, you're right. You know I just forget sometimes, I guess.” He laughed, “Get dressed, you’re going to be late for school.” Lance flattened the hair at the nape of his neck and watched the floor as he walked out of Luis’ bedroom. 

“But- Lance…” Luis started, hopping up out of bed and rushing after his brother. 

“No buts Luis!” Lance snapped, turning on his heel to face his brother yet again a finger raised in acknowledgment. “Get dressed, go to school, and if the principal calls me at work today, I swear it'll be the last time.” With that, Lance rushed into his bedroom and slammed the door so hard the hinges forgot to squeak like they normally do.  
He grabbed his clothes in mindless, methodical, routine and slipped into them like they were a mold holding him together. As if the very seams of his dark denim jeans would get him through this day.

“I love you!!” He heard Veronica and Gavin shout in unison as the Elementary school bus stopped outside their door. Lance huffed, buttoned his jeans and replied, 

“I love you guys too! Have a nice day!” Glancing at the clock Lance realized that he didn’t have work until twelve, and it was only six in the morning. After Louis leaves he could take a nice nap on the couch, watch kid cartoons where his siblings wouldn’t make fun of him, and be as relaxed as possible before work. Besides, it wasn’t like stressing out at work was going to help him any. It wasn’t even thirty minutes later that a knock on his bedroom door startled the oldest McClain sibling out of his reverie. 

“Hey, Lance?” Luis, Lance thought, its Luis. 

“Yes?” Lance hummed around the mouthpiece of a plastic water bottle. It crinkled in his hand. 

“I love you too.” Luis’ squeaky voice choked up, and no sooner had he been there Louis was already shuffling out the front door with a bang. Ocean blue eyes find Lance’s own in his dresser mirror, his chest swells with a breath, and he lets it out as slowly as possible.

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think? Please leave feedback in the comments!  
> And feel free to correct my Spanish :)  
> I can only speak English, and German so this will be a new experience for me!  
> Love, love love.


End file.
